Asher smiled and took a sip of his tea. Claude did the same, and he felt a familiar sensation that was several folds weaker than the one he felt when eating the golden bread.
Still, wasn’t the Moonlit Starhorn milk the said milk that increases strength by several hundred catties with constant intake?
He composed himself as he figured out Asher’s hidden intentions of informing him about this.
“You want to trade with my merchant guild?”
Asher smiled.
“You got the bait. Nineveh is growing, but with constant expansion, what we once managed isn’t enough for us anymore. You’re capable of supplying what we need, and I am capable of supplying you iron ore, beast fur, and much more.”
“That reminds me. I saw different kinds of exotic beast fur that would cost quite the amount of silver on the bodies of your citizens. Do you have more of that White Fury beast fur?”
“As much as you can carry. I also have Desolate blood wolf furs and Ovok skins of bronze, silver, and gold ranks.”
A gleam shot past Claude’s eyes when he heard that.
The kind of beast fur found in the desolatelands was a rarity on the high plains, and due to that, Claude saw this opportunity as one saw a treasure chest spilling with gold coins.
A gold-ranked ovok’s skin is worth about 100 gold coins! And this was just an ovok, an herbivorous animal.
The worth of the desolate bloodwolf skin was twice that amount, and this was because of the stories that usually come with donning such an exotic beast fur.
Nobles in the high plains loved such a commodity.
Right now, he trades salt and sugar, and they have made him the wealthiest baron in the wasteland, but it also brought many eyes to his territory.
Asher was now trying to make him sell goods that would definitely attract more eyes, but he wasn’t worried.
After all, based on what he had seen, Asher had a force so powerful that other forces would have to play the friend game so as not to be trampled on.
“What about the iron ore?”
“We have over 1000 boxes filled to the brim with silver intricate iron ores. These ores are used by many blacksmiths to make their equipment able to harness battle or magi force. By simply using the Ten Thousand Hammer Refining Art, an apprentice-level blacksmith can smelt it.”
Claude raised an eyebrow.
“You have quite the knowledge.” Claude chuckled.
He cleared his throat and adjusted his posture before speaking: “Selling all these, especially the iron ore, would attract eyes, and you clearly want to stay hidden.”
Claude paused at a critical junction.
Asher smiled.
“What do you propose then?”
“An alliance. It will be nice to have a powerful hidden ally.”
Asher cocked his head. “Is that so?”
“What are the terms of the alliance then?”
Claude stroked his beard.
“I am to send help if your domain is under attack, and you shall do the same. This alliance is to protect ourselves from external forces who might be greedy for what we are about to export to the world. Now, I’m going to be in the spotlight, and I don’t have the power to protect my territory from powerful forces that might want the iron ore, but you do.”
“So this alliance will protect us both.” Asher said.
“Exactly.”
“Don’t you think revealing my secrets should be added?”
Asher smiled amicably.
Claude chuckled. “Spilling is ruining my advantage as the sole buyer and supplier. It will be foolishness on my part, but if you deem it necessary, then by all means it should be included.”
….
In the same dining room, Asher and Claude looked at Kelvin, who wrote down all the rules, duplicated them, and gave them to read.
“The alliance is official.”
Both men shook hands.
After some other discussion, Asher led Claude and his knight to the military camp.
They sat under an open structure and looked at the 30 strong bladebreaker cavalrymen racing through the field.
Asher called this sightseeing, but he was indirectly showing Claude a little glimpse of his might.
When Claude and Nicolas discovered all the knights were gold-ranked knights, he almost fell off his seat.
30 Knights!
This young man was growing to become as powerful as the count William Tigris!
“All of them have gold-ranked armor too!” Claude exclaimed.
The mystery around Asher was so thick that it seemed to be a fog that hid Asher within. There were lots of secrets, but Claude wasn’t interested in encroaching as long as Asher was already his ally.
The bladebreaker came before Asher and stopped. They dismounted and fell on one knee.
“Your Lordship!”
Asher turned to Claude’s knight.
“I see the fire in your eyes. Do you want a spar?”
Nicolas cracked his neck.
“You might have a great number of knights, but none can win a one-on-one combat against me.”
“Is that so?’
His confidence made Asher curious.
“Well then, what do you think of some entertainment, Lord Flameheart?”
“Go on.”
Claude also had a confident tone that made Asher raise an eyebrow.
“Let’s go to the pit.”
A bladebreaker said with a small smile that was hidden by his helmet.
After a short walk, they arrived at the pit. The pit was a 300-yard-long space that was 2 meters lower than the other surfaces.
A brick wall was built around the edges so as to prevent a landslide and ruin their treasures training and sparring spot.
Several soldiers were sparring in the pit while fifty Silver Wolf Infantrymen were refining their spear techniques under Alec’s command in a different area.
“Is that a remnant of the giant race?”
Claude asked.
“He isn’t, but he has a trace of their bloodline.”
“Just a trace, and he’s already that big. How big were the actual giants?” Nicolas gasped.
“Well, from 15 feet to 21 feet tall.”
“His Lordship is here!”
All of a sudden, Alec’s voice rang.
Boom!
The heavy infantry slammed their spears against the ground and went on one knee. Other soldiers also followed.
This disorderly place instantly became silent and orderly.
“Arise. Where is Nero?”